Search for a locus near to myostatin that increases muscling in
Texel sheep in New Zealand
T.E. Broad, B.C. Glass, G.J. Greer, T.M. Robertson, W.E. Bain,
E.A. Lord and J.C. McEwan
AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre, Private Bag 50034,
Mosgiel, Dunedin
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
2000, 60: 110-112
In close collaboration with three Texel breeders, we initially
genotyped 36 rams with 5 DNA microsatellite markers that are known to
map around the myostatin gene in sheep. Of these 36 rams, progeny of 12
polymorphic sires (4 from each flock) were selected for further
analysis. This selection was made on the basis of each sire producing
more than 40 offspring which were accompanied by parentage records, live
weights at weaning and 8 months of age, and ultrasonic measurements of
fat depth and rib-eye muscle dimensions. Final progeny numbers from the
sires chosen ranged from 45 to 115 per sire. The data was analyzed by
regressing the observed measurements on the probability of which
paternal grandparental chromosome was inherited at the myostatin locus.
The results suggest that the region of the sheep genome near the
myostatin locus affects muscling (P<0.05) and fat depth (P<0.05) in the
progeny of 4 of 12 sires tested.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
sheep, muscularity, QTL, myostatin
Last Updated 12-07-2000
